Small Promise
by DarkBeerAngel
Summary: One of my versions of RenomeetsElena, and everything from them to the Turks. Chapter 6 is now up.
1. Small Promise

Disclaimer- I do not own any FF7 charecters, but I have bought the game, so I can say I own the game, right?

Reno felt himself waking, not fully sure where he was. He was sure by the dry, sour taste in his throat that he had been up drinking again. Lucky not to be dead in a ditch somewhere... It must have been a good night. As he became more aware of his senses, he rationalized he was not in his bed. And he was not alone. He was okay with this. He grinned a bit through his cloudy headache and fought the urge to roll back over and dive under the blankets. He suddenly wanted to know who's house this was, who was next to him. If she was rich, he'd go through her stuff. Not likely. If she was as poor as him, he'd stick around and give her a good time. For now, he lay quietly, cursing the marching band that rampaged though his head.

Soon the sunlight was washing over the wall, and he was winning the fight not to empty his stomach on this girl's bed. She gently reached over and slipped her arms around his, and he slowly turned to look at her in the mornings light. Hidden by the blankets he lifted up and found her to be a longhaired blonde, much younger than the usual girls, he smiled. Healthier too. And very pretty. She must have been drunk too, he decided, or he wouldn't be laying with this girl, barely older than a child.  
He'd leave now, he figured, not let her wake to find him. But yet part of him wouldn't leave. There he lay, awake, with this beautiful girl clutching his arm.

He snapped out of a daydream when she yawned. He looked down at the girl as she let her grip loosen and was amazed to see her cherubic face, her big soft brown eyes. The biggest, friendliest smile. He didn't deserve her, he knew. He knew she didn't need someone like him either. He pushed her away and sat up. He thanked her for letting him stay, but he must be going, yes, he had a job interview in Midgar. He pulled his clothes on and headed toward the door, and yes, the girl followed him.  
Don't go, she told him, at least take me with you. "Sorry babe, no can do," he told her, "but Ill never forget you, and next time I'm in Costa I'll look for you. Cheer up now, don't cry. Well meet again. Now what's your name my pretty girl, so I know who to ask for." His world was set aglow, as she clung on to him for dear life.

"Elena."

"We shall meet again, and on that day I will love you.""

I promise.


	2. Run Away Reno

Disclaimer- I don't own FF7 or any of the characters. Nor do I own Linkin Park's song, however much I love them. I'd be rich if I did though. 

Chapter 2- Run Away Reno

"I wanna run away/ Never say goodbye I wanna know the truth/ Instead of wondering why I wanna know the answers/ No more lies I wanna shut the door/ And open up my mind"  
- Runaway, Linkin Park

Reno had been born into a home of domestic violence. He hadn't picked it that way, it just happened. Or rather, he happened.

Gongaga, twenty four years ago.

A teenage girl with dark auburn locks and brown eyes met a man, twice her age, a man enlisted in Soldier. They met a few times, at various locations during his time off, and became intimately involved. Frequently. When he came home from overseas, approximately three months from their last visit, she told him her happy news. He proposed to marry her and she accepted. Things went well for the first year. They had a daughter, his black hair and her eyes. Danielle. It wasn't until her second pregnancy that she started to notice the small differences. He yelled at her whenever he had the chance, usually over small things or nothing in particular. The second child was born in the hospital, but not the traditional way. It was a boy, his fathers eyes and his mothers hair. Reno. The mother died soon afterwards. She never saw him. She had been beaten unrecognizable with a iron skillet, and everyone was amazed the baby survived, being born three months early.

Survived. If Reno ever had a slogan for his life, that would be it. He survived the beatings, from both his father and his fathers many girlfriends over the early years of his life. He survived the car accident which was supposed to kill him when he was seven. He survived the Reactor Incident that killed so many others in the village. The day his father finally ended it all, taking his sister and a girlfriend with him, Reno was the last one standing. He had been hiding under his bed, under the floorboards he had pried loose years before to hide from the imminent beatings. He was 13. When the police took him into protective custody, he ran away. Labeled a rebel and a delinquent, he was placed into a home for unruly boys. There was no way he could deal with being put in a boys home. Seven times he ran, seven times he was taken back. Being the smallest, he was tortured mercilessly, in many ways, by the other boys. When he tried to get help, everyone told him he was full of shit. Five years he had to deal with it. The day he turned 18 he ran again, and never went back. He went to Costa Del Sol, the city of the sun.

The celebration of a new life. He would leave it all behind him and start living for the future, now that it looked like he was going to have one. He picked up a flier that was laying on the counter of the item store. "Looking for a change? Come to Midgar, the City in the Sky" He pocketed the paper, figuring it might be worth keeping. He was alone and had nowhere to go, no real plan for the time being. He spent the first few weeks like there was no tomorrow, just focusing on his wants. At the end of the month, he called the number on the flier, and arranged an interview for the next day. Dammed be it if he could find the place once he got there, or even a way to get there, but it seemed like the time. One last night, he figured, he'd party with the other teens on the beach, one more normal night, then he'd leave in the morning. And he did. He picked a small blonde girl to drink with, looking barely over 14, at the oldest. Definitely below the legal age, but he didn't care. He asked her to dance, at first, and she did. He got her to drink with him. He got her to come to the caves, just outside town. He got her to do the things he liked to do, and she never said a word against it. He even got her to take him home, where they practiced those things a few more times before the night was over. He left her in the morning, left the whole continent, leaving everything he hated so much behind, determined to survive in the big city.


	3. Beautiful Something

Lemme check... Nope, still don't own them. 

Elena's story starts off in beautiful seaside Costa Del Sol. Palm trees, cool breezes, tropical drinks and beautiful girls. The sunrises and sunsets were always spectacular and the ocean waters always clear and sparkling. Like a princess Elenora Rose Johanson was raised, never a finger did she have to lift, for everything was always done for her. She had every boy she wanted to play with at her fingertips and every girl wanted to be her friend. She was a ballerina, a pianist, a cheerleader, a swimmer, an A+ student, her school's star volleyball player. Her life was perfect on the outside, but remember: however beautiful the reflection, mirrors shatter.

Her homelife was the opposite of what her friends saw everyday, if she could ever call anyone friend in the first place. She learned early to bite her lip and close her eyes to the pain. She hated her father for what he had done to their family. The first time she had been seven, and walked into the room her and her eight year old brother Rufus shared. Her father had been doing something horrible and unseen to him, she could hear his sobs and pleas to stop. When she had tried to back out of the room her father stopped and grabbed her, pinning her to the floor and ripping her clothes off. He took her childhood away that night. She prayed that night for the first time that she die. Waking in the morning under the bed, curled up in her older brothers protective arms, she prayed that she would be taken away. One week later her father was elected president of Midgar. Six months later her mother filed for a divorce. One year later her father filed custody of young Rufus and won. Four years later her mother died from a drug overdose. She got her wish. She was taken away from the life she hated, though she lost everything she had also loved. She went on with life and did her best to cover up the pain, the hate, and did her best to be the best. And she was... She was perfect.

Being a child of the coast, Elena loved the ocean and spent most of her time after school partying at the beach. The night she first saw the redheaded boy at her grandfather's bar, she knew there was something special about him. He had a presence surrounding him that made her feel... different. She wasn't sure what. She watched as he came in every night, six sharp, to buy his drinks then wander off to crash someones party. He interested her. He ignored her, every night. Still, she stayed where she could watch him, waiting. One night he finally did notice her, either that or he had become bored with her stalking him, and he asked her to drink with him. Of course, that's all she ever really did, so this was fine. She drank with him. She danced with him. She followed him to the caves where he said he had been staying. She took him to her grandparents house where she lived, and let him sleep with her in her bed... among many other things they did that night. She watched him leave in the morning, begging him to stay. She never got his name, she realized, and came to a conclusion. Not only did she like him, she wanted him, all to herself. She was going to... Where did he say he was headed? Midgar.


	4. Rude Awakenings

Still don't own them. And if I did I would give Reno hugs every day. 

Chapter 4 Rude Awakening

Reno had expected Midgar to be... well, extrordinary. He was proved to be wrong. Midgar was the scummiest place he had ever been to. He was knocked over by two young boys right after he stepped through the gates and discovered his wallet missing. "Hey, hey come back here," he yelled, chasing after them. " Police!" he yelled, "Help!" Everyone he ran past kept their heads down and he cursed them all, what happened to the Good Samaritan law, he thought. He followed them down an alleyway and ran into something... or rather someone... hard. A boy just barely older than him. The boy shoved something into Reno's arm, and within seconds he blacked out.

When Reno came to again, he had no idea where he was, not that he would anyway. His arm throbbed fiercly and he felt like he was going to throw up. For some reason, he couldn't move. He wasn't tied down, not as he could tell, but he was numb in many places and could hardly keep his eyes open. He heard footsteps coming close but was out again before the person was in sight.

"Is it alive," one small voice asked." "It sure don't smell alive," another added. "Of course he's alive," a third voice, an adult voice, said. "Now scram," that voice commanded, followed by quick falled footsteps and giggles. Reno carefully tested himself, opening one eye just enough he could see the person sitting next to him without being noticed. It was the boy from the alley, and those two were no doubt the youngsters that marked him. Now he was scared. He didn't feel strange anymore, he felt that he could move, but mabey for the time being he shouldn't. He lay there, waiting for the boy to leave, but in waiting fell asleep again.

All time had ceased to exist, in Reno's little world. He was out, then he wasn't, then he was again. He had no idea what day or what time it was, or if he was still alive or not. Everything was slipping by so fast, he wasn't sure if he was still him or not. One time he could hold onto, knowing he was alive, he had sat up, thinking he was alone. He had looked around, and saw a tall man, obviously someone different, coming at him, fast. The next time he came to, however brief it had been, he had noticed the tight ropes against his wrists and ankles, and again, that same throbbing in his arm, the same numbness.

This continued for quite some time, there was no real recorded date, so it was hard to say how long he had been there after he had been taken. The night he woke up was the night he lost his sanity. She was a leggy blonde, with too much makeup on to be real. She was on him. He was confused. He thought he was still dreaming until he realized something very important. Something physical that does not happen in dreams, not that real. When he made protest, though the smallest he could manage being as weak as he was, she attacked him with her cat claws, slicing his face, deep. She got off him and screamed, obviously for the boy. "He was supposed to be out," she screamed loud enough for Reno's ears to ring. "I want my money back!" "Too bad bitch," the boy yelled back. "Non negotional, you know how it works!" Reno laid there in pain, trying to turn his head so the blood wasn't trickeling into his eyes. He stopped when he felt the cold steel pressing firmly against his left temple. There was more screaming. When the gun fire exploded, he truly believed he died.

But he didn't. He survived.

When he started coming to, the first thing he noticed was the beeping. The second thing was he was laying in a bed. Warm. The third thing was the smell. That was what really awoke him from the nightmare. He tried to open his eyes but automatically winced at the severe pain. That made it worse. He had never been in so much pain in his whole life. There was no way he could make any expression without sending fire through his nerves. He couldn't remember what happened, and was absolutely afraid for his life, more than he had been living with his father. "Easy there," a deep voice said, cutting through Reno's thoughts. He started to cry, making things worse. "Lay back down child," the voice said, resting a hand on his shoulder, pushing him back down, "everything will be okay. I promise." Reno obeyed, trying hard to stop moving his face. This was extremely difficult. He decided not to talk for the time being and tried to go back to sleep.

He slept for quite awhile longer, but it was a good, comforting kind of sleep. When he woke up, he was no longer in pain and the bandages were off his face, permitting him to see the three people sitting in the room across from him. Two men, both tall, one with long black hair, the other bald. And the cat woman, the bitch that had marked him. They were all staring intently at him. Seeing her worried him. The man with the hair obviously saw that and walked over and sat next to him, resting his hand on Reno's arm. Reno knew this was the man that had talked to him earlier, whenever that had been. He smelled good. The man stared into Reno's eyes for a moment, before turning back to the other two. "Green," he stated, leaving Reno dumbfounded as they all laughed. Then the man turned back to him. "You'll be safe now, child," the man whispered, and Reno had to admit he did feel better hearing that. "How'd I get here," Reno asked, as loudly as he could. There was silence for a moment and he wasn't sure if the man had heard him. "My partner found you," he said, pointing to the bald man. "You, son, are lucky to be alive. Do you have any idea what happened to you?" Reno didn't, and he shook his head. The man sighed, looking down. "I see."

The man turned to the other two and motioned them to leave the room, which they did to no complaint. Reno wasn't sure why, but he didn't ask. Even though it was comforting to have this man with him, he still was afraid of him. Of everyone. The man adjused the bed knobs so Reno was now sitting upright, and sat on the edge next to him. The man put his arm around Reno's shoulders, and for a moment he thought the man was coming on to him. "What is your name," the man whispered, and Reno looked at him puzzled. What was his name? Catching that he needed to be quiet about it, Reno wispered his name, and the man looked at him, thoughtfully. "Reno, you are a lucky, lucky child to be alive today," the man whispered. Reno couldn't help but grin. "Why's that," he said, not controlling his voice level. The man glanced around, and Reno wondered if he was paranoid. "Because... You survived being held captive by a small group of terrorists. They call themselves Avalanche. They were keeping you sedated and selling you, child. I cannot digress enough how lucky you are to be here with us." Reno looked up at the man, looked up into his steel blue eyes, and started to cry. "And... what about that lady, if she's with you and she's good and stuff, why'd she do this to me," Reno asked. The man breathed deeply, as if he was trying to calm himself down, and gave him the short answer "All things will eventually be revealed." Reno looked up, and realized this man may not be of much help after all. The man let go of Reno and stood up, brushing off his suit. What an ugly shade of blue, Reno thought to himself. He liked black better. Then the man turned and pulled a card out of his pocket, handing it to Reno. "Take this, and keep it close," he said. The man turned to walk away, and Reno called out "Hey, what's your name?" The man gently smiled, a smile Reno would never see again, and left.

Reno had never felt so alone in his whole life.


	5. It Begins

Disclaimer- See top of other four chapters... things I own: ZERO, NADA, ABSOLUTLY NOTHING!. 

Chapter 5

It Begins

"This is the first day of the rest of your life" the sign read, and Reno had never wanted to believe anything so much. Or at least, he still had high hopes for a better future, despite the recent setback. When he got inside the building, he automatically noticed the blonde with the fingernails sitting at the front desk, taking calls. He was thinking about turning around and leaving when he realized the bald guy was sitting in one of the chairs, reading a magazine. For some odd reason, he wanted to know him, and found himself sitting down next to him. The man stared at him, and Reno offered a very sheepish grin. "So, hey, your the guy that saved my life then, hunh," he asked, and the guy nodded, never turning away from his magazine. "So hey, ya know, thanks and stuff," Reno said, a bit more confident, and the man turned to him. "I was doing my job," he stated, and left, tossing the magazine onto the corner table. Reno looked over at the magazine with interest: "A New Style For A New You." Reno looked over, confused, as the man disappeared around the corner.

"The president will see you now," the bitch with the nails cut through Reno's train of thought. "Alright, this is it," he thought to himself as he took a deep breath and opened the door. He should have passed out; before him sat a table full of people of obvious power. "Please have a seat," the man at the head of the table basically commanded, and Reno took the only empty chair, between the man with the long black hair and the bald guy. "Reno, is it," the man at the head of the table asked, and Reno froze. "No sir, Reno is what I call myself, my name is Nathaniel Renold Miller. Reno's just my middle name..." "Good then," the man stated. "Reno, you have made the best choice of your life by interviewing for a position in my fine company. Let me introduce myself... My name is Jack Shinra, President of Shinra Corporation," the man said, but Reno got the feeling he was not friendly. "Now, you should know, even though you applied for janitorial work, it is reccommended that every able boy of age serve two years in Soldier first. Do you understand that?" Reno nodded, afraid to say anything wrong. "Good," the president said, clapping his hands. "Heidigger, he's all yours," the president said obviously to the fat man in the green suit as he stood and bowed. All Reno could do was sit there and wait for whatever was going to happen next. The fat man was standing before him in a matter of seconds, cathcing Reno by surprise, even though he was jumpy to begin with. "I'm General James T. Heidigger, you call me Sir," the fat man said, holding his hand out for Reno to shake. Of course, he did, and the man was obviously pleased. "Come now, I'll show you around, and you can meet everyone," he said. Reno was lost. "So, do I get the job," he uneasily asked, and the man laughed, a horrible laugh that Reno was sure would give him nightmares. "Oh you get the job alright," he said, and led Reno off to the rest of his life.

The General lead Reno out to a helicopter, and he was surprised to see the man with the hair and the man without the hair standing on either side of the door. "New recruit, eh," the bald one obviously joked, and Reno definately hoped he was joking. He got in and looked around, it was the first time he had ever seen the inside of a helicopter, and he automatically was in love with it. The men got in and the bald one was obviously the pilot. Reno was full of questions about it, but stopped himself from asking those questions, a looming fear of where they were taking him seting in. "Hi, I'm Rufus," a voice said, starteling Reno. He hadn't realized there was anyone else. He glared at the boy, really just a kid, sitting next to him, and the boy stared back. "So what," Reno asked, feeling a bit agrivated but not knowing why. Rufus laughed, a soft, mocking laugh. "So you got sucked in too," he said, and Reno looked at him, puzzled. "What do you mean, sucked in," he asked, and Rufus laughed again, but now out of sadness. "Look out the window." Reno did, and was amazed to see a fleet of helicopters, and now felt like he was going to be sick. He turned to the younger blonde, "What are they doing with us?" Rufus pulled out a small wooden box and slid the lid off it. "You should probably take one of these, it's gonna be a long ride."

Reno hadn't gotten the chance to ask what it was before the man with the hair had swiveled around in his seat and was facing them. "Hey Ruffie, I'll take one of those," the man said, and Rufus held out his box for him. "Hey, can I have one too," the bald guy asked, and Rufus laughed. Actually, all three of them were laughing and Reno had obvioulsy missed out on the joke. Rufus held the box out ot Reno again, and he took one, amazed that the kid had it in his posession. "How old are you," Reno asked, and Rufus laughed, a true, childish laugh. "I'll be sixteen in a month," he said, then countered, "What about you?" Reno grinned. "Just 18 a week ago. Are these legal?" Rufus laughed, lighting up the small joint he had so freely handed out to everyone. "one-hundred percent," he answered, and offered Reno a lighter. "What's in them," Reno cautiously asked, up to this point never really having done drugs except for whatever those Avalanche guys did to him. The bald guy put the helicopter on auto-pilot and turned around. "I grow it, I dry it, I roll it and I share it," he said, and Reno didn't doubt it. "So... what is it," Reno asked again, and the man replied "one hundred percent loco weed, at it's finest. If you're looking for anything, I'll know where to get it. The name's Rude, by the way." Rude offered his hand, and Reno shook it, cringing. If there was a definiton for strong, he was it. "Me next," the man with the hair said, slightly confusing Reno. He stared at him for a moment, it must be whatever they were smoking. "My name is Tseng. We are the first people and the last people you will ever want to meet." Reno stared at him a bit longer, wondering what he meant. "Hunh," he asked/exclaimed, and Tseng shook his head, taking a deep drag of his joint. "You want to smoke that before we get there, trust me, I was in for three years, because I flunked my first set of trials," Tseng said, and Reno stared at the joint. He didn't smoke. Rude was teasing Tseng, "You got three and I got seven, together we get eleven." That was only ten, so Reno didn't understand. "Must be a private joke," Reno thought to himself, and sat back, lighting up the small roll of paper. Rufus looked over and smiled. "That's the spirit," he said, and giggled at something Reno had missed.

Reno leaned his head against the window and stared up at the sky as he smoked. It was still early morning, and it was beautiful. Seeing the sun rising over the ocean reminded him of that girl, he had written her name and number down somewhere. She reminded him of the ocean. He wished he hadn't left the small ocean town and had stayed there with those longing brown eyes... His future was uncertain and his company was more than what he could have expected, but yet for the time being he could only see her face in the back of his mind. Would this girl wait for him? Or would she be just another passing glance... Only time could tell.


	6. Bootcamp Love Letter

Disclaimer- See previous pages. I do not, nor will I ever, own anything in, on, concerning with, or having relations to, with FF7 or any of its characters, places, random monsters, or anything else. Thank you.

* * *

Small Promise; Chapter 6: Bootcamp Love Letter

Elena sat on the porch and watched the mailman drive up to the driveway gate of her grandparents estate and drop something into the built in slot. She figured it was bills, or some club offering something fake for something that didn't exist. She waited with her hands in the pockets of her light blue jacket until the mail carrier was out of site, and she slowly made her walk down the sloping front path. She did this every morning before school. She would bring the morning paper in, get the mail, feed the cat and walk to school. Quite boring, but she was used to it.

When she looked into the box, she was surprised to see just a small, creme colored,  
severely battered envelope, with her name, Elena, the house number, and the city. There was no return address on the front, but that didn't damper her sudden excitement. She held it for a minute, then smiled softly, in that same longing, sad way she tends to look at everything she can't have, as she pulled the envelope out of the mailbox and looked over the names. It was for her, and she wanted to read whatever may rest inside. She usually didn't get mail, her grandfather wouldn't allow it. "What do you think you are doing," she thought to herself, as she found herself folding the envelope and tucking it into the back pocket of her pants. She bit her lip and giggled, he would never know.

Elena withdrew the newspaper and skipped back up the path leading to the porch. She knew this was going to be a good day. She lay the newspaper on the coffee table inside and measured out a cup of dry food and water for the cat. She grabbed her backpack from under the table and slipped it on, and was almost out the door when her grandfather stopped her.

"Wasn't there any mail today," he asked her, and she sheepishly smiled. "Nope, he just the paper today," she said, and he walked away, grumbling about something. "Bye?" She offered but he was already off in another room.

It didn't take Elena long to walk to school, only ten minutes, but she liked to leave early; she liked to spend the least amount of time in that spooky old house, and her grandparents never actually took her to school, so they couldn't argue with time. She liked to spend her mornings at the beach. She would usually walk there, all of about fifteen minutes away, and call for a ride to school from a friend.

She happened to get there just a bit faster this morning, and nervously retrieved the envelope, so excited but so suspenseful at the same time. She sat down on a large piece of driftwood and gently opened the corner, careful not to rip it. Her hands were shaking as she unfolded the three pieces of paper, and she started looking over the sloppy handwriting of some unknown writer.

"_Dear Elena of Costa_," it began, and she smiled as she read on,

"_It's been awhile since we met, and I don't know if you even remember me, but I have nobody else to write to, and I think of you constantly, so I thought I'd write and tell you what's been going on with me lately._

_I went to Midgar, like I planned, and applied for that job, and they sent me off to... here. We arrived here, at Fort Condor, three days ago at sundown. It has to be the most rundown place I'd ever seen. There were so many other kids our age, I was shocked. Some of them looked excited, some of them looked sad, but most of them looked just as plain out confused as me. Soon after I had stepped out of the helicopter we came in and pulled my bag out, I realized that the others I had been traveling with had left me._

_I wandered around for a good hour or so, being pushed around by the older kids like a lost dog, searching for a good place to lie. I can't even describe some of the things that were said to me over the last three days. Seems allot of folks around here don't like Gongagans, though I'm not sure why, and it definitely isn't right. It's the person, not the place, you know? Maybe it's just me though._

_Anyway, I eventually found the front desk. It was more of a dilapidated tent with a propped up three legged table than anything else, but I'm not one to judge. Maybe it's the only thing whoever runs this place could afford. Or maybe the guy's just a cheap ass like my dad was. I guess it's not my place to say. But, I did find my way, never the less, and I had to sign all this paperwork and stuff. It was boring, I didn't even read any of it. Something along the lines of "You're already here, so we own your ass and any activity your ass may participate in, and if your ass gets in trouble, we don't know you, screw off, have a nice day." Right. So, I figure, whatever job that may be waiting for me after this so called "training exercise" has to be worth it. I still don't understand though, why I should have to go through... what seems to be a boot camp, just to work as a janitor. Am I going to have to avoid grenades while mopping the hallway? What kind of a place have I gotten myself into? I guess that doesn't matter anymore, now I'm in it for the ride, wherever it may lead._

_Well, after I had signed all that stuff I was assigned to a cabin, 247 B. I was surprised when I found it and went in to toss my shit on my bunk. The lady at the desk hadn't told me I'd be rooming with a bunch of kids. This isn't any problem for me, I don't have anything against younger kids, I just should have known. One of the guys I came with, Rufus... something or other..., was sitting on the top bunk in the corner, eating something, so that was definitely relieving for me to know someone there, even if I had just met him earlier._

_The other two were a bit weird. For starters, the one on the opposite bunk, on the top, I guess his name is Zack. Black hair, green eyes, about a year younger than me, I think. He's from Gongaga too, but I don't know him. He likes to take things apart, like old radios and things he finds laying around, and make new stuff with the chipboards and parts. I got in a fight with him the first night, I called him a pansy because he had flowers and glittery pink shit around his bed. He says it's all from his girlfriend in Midgar, so whatever._

_The other kid that takes the bunk below him, his name is Cloud... Yeah, I know. What a messed up kid he must be. I wonder if his parents were drunk when they named him? He's all right though. He's about two years or more younger, or at least he acts like it. The kid's got spunk, I'll say that. Way too much energy. He's kinda funny, I don't know what it is about him. He's the average cute kid, I guess. Blonde hair, blue eyes, short for his age, kinda chubby. He keeps this puke orange colored hair thing around his ankle, says it's from his girlfriend back home. He couldn't say where home was when I asked, but oh well._

_The Cloud kid and me are actually doing allot of shit together, amazingly. All this teaming up bullflop we're forced to do. Rufus hasn't said anything to me since we got here, but I don't let it bother me. I think he's kinda snotty, so whatever. I think he's teaming up with that Zack-ass just to be the first to be done with it all. It seems allot of the adults favor him for some reason, but I can't see what's so special about him. Cloud basically kisses Zack's ass whenever he asks for anything or complains, and it pisses me off. The kid's smart, but he's so dumb at the same time, I hate people that waste their potential like that. Sorry, I'd erase that, but I'm using pen. Anyway._

_The other guys I came with, they're a bit older. I think the one guy is still here, like me, but the older one is definitely a counselor or something. The older one, Tseng, hasn't said anything to me, but I don't care. He's probably just busy or something. The other one, his name's Rude, I guess. That's what he wants to be called, anyway. He says he sneaks out at night and goes over to the girl's side of the camp, to watch them undress. He's actually pretty cool though, he sneaked me some smokes last night, and a beer. Yeah, I started smoking, I guess. It's just something I do, for fun or whatever. It's kinda weird, that he hangs out with me. I've never had any friends before, so I'm not sure what to think. He's my night friend, and Cloud's my daytime friend. And if I had said that to anyone else, I'd probably get my ass kicked. Again._

_So, I'm not sure if there's really anything else to say about that, but I guess I could tell you what I did today. I got woken up at two in the morning to do push-ups, and other needless physical work. I spent a good part of the morning running through the woods, in my boxers, being chased by a pack of Guard Hounds, and a good part of the day shaving potatoes with shortie, because we lost. I'm fast, damn can I run, but as a team we weren't good enough for them. The hottest part of the afternoon was spent shoveling Chocobo manure. I don't know why. I guess I'm the only one that didn't complain about it or something. I'm getting ready to sneak out, Rude should be here any minute. We're going to have fun, he's the only part of this that's any fun. I hate it here. He's been here a long time, so I wonder how long I'm going to be here, if I'm going to have to stay here and stuff. But, he gets to leave too, and that confuses me. I mean, LEAVE. As in, get in the helicopter and take off, see ya in a few hours, or days, or whatever. There's some other stuff too, but I won't get into it. Mostly because I don't have the answers, and I'm too afraid to ask. Everything has just happened so fast, I'm not sure what to think about allot of it._

_...Well, my friend's here now, so I'm going to end this now. I hope to hear from you, if you want to and stuff. You don't have to if you don't want to. But, well, thank you for listening. _

_-Reno xxmonth, xxday, xxxxyear"_

Elena held the letter to her chest for a minute, almost not believing someone had taken the time to write to her. "Reno," she thought. "Which one was he?" She couldn't remember, there were so many of them. So many were just a passing glance, or one night of fun, but this one came back for some reason. "Hm." She shrugged it off and got up to leave. She crumpled and tossed the letter and envelope in the garbage can near the road as she left, and wondered what she was going to get for breakfast.


End file.
